Beauty Boxes: Bella Box December 2012

My Bella Box came nice and early this month, and I have to admit I had high expectations for the Christmas/holiday box. I think the theme of this box should be 'Mixed Emotions'. Let me explain, but first let's see what we got!:


❖ Allegra Rhodes Hand and Nail Cream in Red Lychee, sample size 5ml
One of apparently 4 scents, the Red Lychee smells divine. Unfortunately the 5ml size of the sample will barely be enough for one application. At least the cream comes in a pot instead of a tube so I can eke out every last millilitre. I will definitely enjoy that smell while it lasts, though.

❖ John Frieda Firzz-Ease Secret Weapon Flawless Finishing Creme, sample size 30ml.
While I do like this product, I've received a sample of it before, and it's so thickly plastered all over Priceline and other stores, there's no way I wouldn't have heard of it by now. Seeing as I've already bought a full-size, it's like preaching to the converted. It would have been nice to see something new and different in the hair stakes.

❖EmerginC Multi Fruit Cleanser & Protocell Combat Cream, sample size 3ml each
I've had EmerginC product samples before, and I quite liked them. I always like to try new cleansers, so I was happy to receive these.

❖ Compeed Blister Medium, one piece.
This seems like a bit of an odd product for a festive December box. It's a bit ... pedestrian. (groan, sorry, but you know what I mean!) It will come in handy as I sometimes get blisters after my longer walking sessions, but I wish it had been something a little more exciting and glamorous. Or even beauty-related would have been good.

❖ Savoir Faire Limited Edition Kit in Summer, beauty palette.
Now this is the stuff! This complete beauty kit retails at $110. And apparently every single subscriber received one! I don't know how they pulled this off, but it's amazing! The sleek black box contains 6 eyeshadows, a blush, a mascara, an eye pencil and a lip gloss. The box also has a large mirror in the lid. The Winter eyeshadows would probably have suited me better, being fair-skinned, but the lip gloss and blush from this box would suit me better, I think. So it's much of a muchness, really. The only disappointing thing is that the box is supposed to include cards with guides to creating 6 makeup looks, but they're not present. Perhaps I'm just a silly duffer and can't find the compartment they're in? I'll wait until I see a few other reviews before I email the company.

Summary: Like I said before, I have mixed feelings about this box. All the products are sample-sized and some not very exciting, but the Savoir Faire beauty palette blows me away with it's value and contents. There's been much rumbling in the last few months about how the quality of beauty box subscriptions has declined, with smaller samples and less luxury brands. I'm interested to see how they'll deliver in the new year.
I'm not going to bother working out the value this month - the information on the Blister patch is vague - lets just say that due to the Savior Faire Palette, it's lots!

Rating: 8/10

P.S. There's a recent thought-provoking post on Chasing Elixir on why beauty sample boxes often fail.

Beauty Boxes: Bella Box September 2012

The theme of the September Bella Box is Spring in Your Step and I think we've all been waiting for Spring to come! Even despite my hayfever, I've still been looking forward to it. ッ I'm going on holidays in a few weeks' time too, so I'd be very pleased to have some samples I can take with me.
Let's have a look at this month's Bella Box:


It contains:

♫ Bioderma Sebium Foaming Gel, sample size 10ml
Bioderma is popping up again and again in my beauty boxes. I don't think we have to worry anymore that we won't be able to obtain their products here in Australia! I always like to try new facial cleansers - I just love it when my face is squeaky clean! The snap-off top is not resealable, so it'll be staying in my shower, not coming with me on holiday.

♫ Bioderma Sebium AKN Purifying Corrective Care, sample size 5ml
Whether it's a coincidence, I don't know, but these two Bioderma samples are good for oily and blemished skin, so they're right up my alley. Pimples can get worse in the tropical climate I'm heading to, so this one's going in my travel bag.

♫ You, Me & Everybody Sumptuous Skin Mousse, full size 75ml
I've never seen a moisturiser in an aerosol can before! While it's probably not very environmentally friendly, I'm still curious. Apparently it's a fragrance-free mousse good for dry skin. Holidays are a time for trying something new, so this one joins the facial moisturiser in my suitcase!

♫ Savoir Faire Concealer Kit, series of samples
I've heard of this concealer testing kit before: it did the rounds of the beauty blogs a few months ago. People were a bit mystified as to why SF would include concealers in three vastly different colours in one kit instead of putting them out in separate kits, and I'm wondering why, too! The lightest concealer may just be light enough for me, but it still looks too yellow. The others are suggested to be used for contouring. My makeup routine is never that elaborate! On the other hand, I've never used a finishing powder, and I'm curious. A holiday isn't the time when I want to spend time mucking around with a fiddly new product. But when I get back and I'm nice and tanned ... maybe??*
* (Just kidding: I pretty much have a phobia of getting sunburnt and I'm taking a big supply of sunscreen with me!)

♫ U-Haircare USPA Beehold, sample size 30ml
This gel adds body and helps retain curl in wavy hair, plus 'humidity resistance' (which I assume is anti-frizz?) - just the kind of thing I'll be needing in warm weather. I was going to take my sea salt spray with me, but this sample will be more convenient. Nice. It smells good, too.

♫ Benefit It's Potent! Eye Cream, sample size 3ml
Eye creams, hmm! I have a bit of an ambiguous relationship with them. They're usually expensive (check), come in unhygienic pots (check), and don't do what the claims say (judgement pending). The lid wasn't done up properly and it smelled really generic and boring. On the bright side, it was nice that a 3ml sample came in a pot (a cute and reusable one, too!) rather than a sachet. I will put it in my eye cream queue. I haven't decided if I'll take it on holidays, yet.

Summary: I don't mind this box at all. It has a mix of face, body, hair and cosmetics. The face products were right for my skin type, which is nice. It's probably coincidental, but almost all the products were in white, green and blue packaging, which added a fresh, spring feel. The value is OK, not spectacular but nothing to complain about either.

Total Value: $47.66. Cost of Box: $15.00. Benefit: $32.66
Rating: 7/10